by Mari Carr
She shrugged. “My issues really only come out in the bedroom. I mean, I’m pretty confident when it comes to my professional life. I’ve just never been able to get that self-reliance to carry over to sex.”
“It’s because you’ve dated duds who didn’t appreciate you,” Shaw interjected.
She smiled, shaking her head. “God, you guys are good for my ego.”
Max ran his hand along her neck, moving downward until he gripped her breast lightly. “We’re gonna be good for your body too.”
She shuddered as he pinched her nipple, the sharp pain sending a sensual jolt all the way to her toes. She closed her eyes and savored the touch.
“Finally,” Shaw said, pulling his Ford up to the front door of their house and hitting the brakes a little too strongly.
“Eager, buddy?” Max asked sardonically.
Shaw frowned. “You might wanna bear in mind you’re the only one who’s been getting play time for the past few minutes. My turn now.”
Shaw got out and was waiting at the passenger side as Max opened the door. Max stepped out of the way, allowing Shaw to reach in. He lifted her out of the truck as Keri giggled. Shaw’s hands cupped her ass as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. His denim-clad erection rubbed against her bare mons as he carried her up the front steps and inside the door Max had opened for them.
“Bedroom now,” Max demanded.
Shaw continued to carry her down a long hallway as Keri took brief glimpses of her surroundings. She was curious about the house these two men shared. From her quick peeks, it appeared warm, comfortable and inviting. There were family pictures lining the hall.
“No tour?” she asked when Shaw entered a large master bedroom. A king-size four-poster bed dominated one wall, and she briefly wondered whose room they’d brought her to—Max’s or Shaw’s. She didn’t have a chance to ask before Shaw put her down and stepped away.
“We’ll do the grand tour after,” Shaw said.
“After?” she teased, feigning ignorance.
Max claimed a chair by the bed while Shaw sat on the edge of the mattress.
“You promised us a show,” Max prompted.
Keri narrowed her eyes, prolonging the anticipation. “Hmmm. I don’t remember making any promises.”
Max gave her a wicked grin. “You really want a punishment so soon?”
She shuddered slightly and actually considered his question. Did she? There was something rather forbidden and exciting about the idea of placing herself over Max’s lap.
He started to stand, seemingly intent on following through with his threat, but she raised her hand to halt him. “How can I dance without music?”
Shaw chuckled and then reached toward the nightstand. There was an iPod docked on speakers. Turning it on, he searched until he found a slow, easy country ballad.
Keri toed off her cowboy boots, swallowing heavily. She closed her eyes briefly, praying for the strength to give them a good show. When she opened them again, she shoved her damn discomfiture aside, letting the adoration in their gazes drive her motions.
Slowly, she started to sway, reaching down to the hem of her T-shirt. Moment of truth drifted through her mind as she tried to make herself believe she was really here with these two incredible men.
She lifted the cotton in time with the music, inch by tantalizing inch, drawing out the actions when Shaw and Max both leaned closer, spellbound by her movements. That realization encouraged her to tease even more. When she finally pulled the shirt over her head, she heard both men groan in unison, and she gave them a seductive smile, feeling like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Turning her back to them, she slid down the zipper at the side of her skirt. Taking a deep breath, she wiggled her hips seductively, undulating as she pushed her skirt down. When the material hit the floor, she stepped out of it.
She was about to turn around and remove her bra when two strong hands rested briefly on her waist, halting her. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as Max unhooked the fastening of her bra.
“I thought this was my striptease.” She grinned at the heat in his gaze.
“I’m taking over.”
Her pussy clenched at his dark, sensual tone. She wanted him to take over, to take her.
Stripping off her lacy bra, he turned her around with gentle hands on her shoulders. Glancing to her right, she discovered Shaw still on the bed. He’d taken off his shirt, and the image of his tanned, muscular chest sent flashes of arousal to every part of her body.
“You remember what we said in the truck?”
Max’s question drew her attention back to him. “We said a lot of things in the truck.”
He grinned, pushing her toward the bed until her back touched the tall end post. He lifted her arms above her head.
“Hold on to that post,” he commanded.
She gripped it, liking the way the position thrust out her breasts. From the look on Max’s face, he had her exactly where he wanted her. Using her bra, he bound her wrists to the post. The speed of his actions took her by surprise.
“Hey,” she said when she tugged on the binding, shocked to find it too tight to break.
Max cupped her cheek. “You said you wanted this.”
She licked her lips and nodded. She had said that. And she did want it.
“Just for a few minutes,” Max added. “I’m afraid I don’t have the patience to drag this out much longer. There’s nothing I want more than to have you on your back in that bed with me buried deep inside your body.”
She shuddered. “Do it.”
He chuckled. “Not yet.”
Max pulled his T-shirt over his head. Keri leaned her head against the post. After years in the city, she’d forgotten that there were men like this in the world. Men who did a hard day’s work to earn their muscles and tans. Max and Shaw didn’t waste time in gyms or tanning salons. Everything about them was all-natural. And gorgeous.
Shaw’s light chuckle drew her gaze from Max’s chest. “He’s not too bad on the eyes, is he?”
She laughed at Shaw’s joke, though Max scowled. Again she wondered about the truth behind their relationship. It was obvious they were best friends, but she couldn’t give up the idea there was more to it than that.
“He’s hot,” she said in reply. “You both are.”
“Well, you know what they say about Texas summers.”
She laughed. “Brutal.”
Max reclaimed the chair and pulled off his cowboy boots. Shaw did the same as Keri squeezed her legs together. She was in some serious need of stimulation.
When Max stood once more and undid the button and zipper to his jeans, she got light-headed.
“Breathe, Keri,” Shaw said, rising to stand in front of her. She yanked at her bondage, wishing she could run her fingers along their chiseled chests. She wanted to be the one to remove every stitch of clothing from their bodies.
Shaw reached above her head and placed his hands on hers. “Shhh. You’ll have plenty of time to touch us. For right now, let us take care of you.”
“I need…” She faltered. God. She needed so much. She had no idea how to put that into words.
“We know what you need.” Shaw kissed her softly and she fell into his hypnotic embrace. While Max kissed with power and strength and dominance, Shaw’s kisses were deep and slow and sexy as hell. She could spend a lifetime kissing these men and never get bored, never want for more.
When Shaw stepped away, Max was there to take his place. Over and over, they took turns kissing her until her body was unable to contain the heat and she felt as though she would burst into flame. The fact that neither man had done more than caress her face or grip her waist as they covered her lips wasn’t lost on her.
“Please,” she whispered.
Taking mercy on her, they both moved away. While Max had opened his pants, he hadn’t removed them. Now he did.
She gasped for air as he shed his jeans, revealin
g a long, thick cock that looked as strong and powerful as Max.
“Wow,” she muttered.
Shaw laughed, breaking the sexual tension that had grown thick in the room. She looked over and watched him remove his pants as well.
Christ. What had she signed on for here? Neither man was hurting in the well-endowed department. For a moment, she felt the slightest bit of panic rise in her chest.
Max stepped closer and cupped her cheek. “Nothing too tough tonight. Promise. We’re just going to take some time, get used to one another.”
She bit her lip and wondered if he was a mind reader. Either that or she had the crappiest poker face in history. No wonder Shaw had cleaned her out at Texas hold ’em when she was a kid.
She didn’t have time to consider the idea further as each man bent, grasped one of her breasts and sucked on her nipples. Her head flew back against the post hard, but she wasn’t sure if it was the pain from that or their lips on her body that was causing the stars to swim before her eyes.
“Holy shit,” she muttered. While she felt Shaw’s lips tip up—no doubt to smile—neither man released her. She tried to focus on what they were doing, but her power to think was washed away by the flood of arousal building in her body.
“Open your legs, Keri.” Max followed his demand with a slight push against her knee. He pulled her thighs apart, putting her legs where he wanted them. She’d spent years with this man and she wasn’t surprised to discover him so controlling in the bedroom. God knew he was in charge of every aspect of his life—work or play. He’d always taken his job on Mockingbird Ranch seriously. Brody had remarked more than a few times on Max’s thoroughness and attention to detail.
She was suddenly pleased to be on the receiving end of his diligence. His fingers grazed her clit, and she reared back against the post again at the sparks he ignited.
Shaw cupped the back of her head with his hand, lightly pinching her nipple as his lips rubbed her cheek. “Easy, baby. Don’t want you to get a concussion.”
She started to laugh, but the sound turned into a moan when Max dropped to his knees before her and sucked her clit into his mouth.
“God,” she groaned.
As Shaw played with her breasts, worshipping every part of her face and neck with his kisses, Max drove her to the brink of an orgasm as he worked the flesh below her waist.
He thrust two fingers inside her pussy and she gasped at his strength, the speed of his motions. Pressing his tongue against her clit, Max continued to push her higher and higher. She was a goner. After a few minutes of the hottest foreplay in the history of humankind, Shaw moved his lips to her ear and whispered, “Come.”
She went off like a bottle rocket on the Fourth of July. She strained against the bindings at her wrists, her body trembling in the aftermath of the incredible orgasm, but neither man was inclined to allow her time to recover.
Shaw released the knot, pulling her arms away from the post. Max pushed her down onto the bed, coming over her to kiss her. She tasted her own essence on his lips, the tang igniting her need once more.
She heard the tearing of a wrapper. Max rose as Shaw handed him the condom. He donned it quickly, placing the head of his cock at her opening.
“So beautiful,” he murmured as he pushed into her body. She’d never come more than once in a single night. That realization depressed her for only a moment until Max wiped the thought away. There was no doubt that pitiful record was going to be shattered tonight.
Max’s motions were hard, fast, unrelenting. She struggled to breathe under his glorious assault and felt herself reaching the peak too soon.
“Too much,” she gasped. “Too good.”
Max grinned and shook his head. “Not enough.” He touched her clit, stroking it in time with his thrusts, and she screamed as her second climax erupted. Max followed her over, and she reveled in the sweet sound of his growled compliments.
“Gorgeous. Hot. Amazing.” Each word he uttered pounded its way into her head and her heart. God help her if they weren’t serious about pursuing a relationship, because she was way more than halfway in love with both of them already.
Max pulled out. Keri wasn’t surprised when Shaw was there to immediately take his place. Unlike his friend’s, Shaw’s entrance to her body was slow and smooth.
“You hanging in there, darlin’?” he asked once he was lodged to the hilt.
She nodded, unable to speak. The night had been unbearably wonderful. How could she tell him that?
Shaw smiled sweetly, bending lower to kiss her. “Max has always been too impatient. That’s why I let him go first. Now we can take our time.”
She glanced to her left. Max was lying on his side, watching them. He didn’t take offense at his friend’s jibe. Instead, he grinned and shrugged as if to confess Shaw was spot on.
Shaw was true to his word and as he moved inside her body, Keri embraced the fact that she’d never felt more cherished. He didn’t push her to the brink, rather, he took her by the hand and they sauntered together. Each retreat, each tiny moan and small touch building until her body trembled under the impact, the beauty of the moment.
“Come with me,” he whispered.
His request, coupled with a deep thrust into her body, pushed her the extra inch, and she came. It wasn’t until she felt Max’s hand on her face, wiping away her tears that she realized she was crying.
“Are you okay?” Shaw asked.
She opened her eyes, saw their matching looks of concern. All night she’d fought to find the words to describe what this evening meant to her.
She smiled. “I’m perfect. Everything,” she whispered, “is perfect.”
Chapter 4
Shaw opened his eyes, blinking several times, forcing his eyes to adapt to the darkness of the room. He lay on his side, spooning a naked Keri as she embraced Max, her head on his chest.
It had been an incredible evening. While the practice of a ménage was nothing new to him and Max, tonight’s experience was different. Usually they would find a willing woman and spend the night fucking relentlessly until they passed out from sheer exhaustion.
With Keri, they weren’t working toward some blow-your-mind sex frenzy. Instead, it felt as if they’d made love to her. Shaw sighed, trying to remember if he’d ever made love to a woman. His past lovers had served a purpose—to help him get his rocks off. He’d never approached sex with any deeper emotion than excitement or anticipation.
Shaw looked across the pillow at Max’s sleeping face. He’d spent the drive home torn between horniness as he’d listened to Max’s and Keri’s fantasies, and annoyance at Max’s insistence that they not enlighten her about the true nature of their relationship.
The fight they’d waged outside the truck as Keri waited patiently inside the cab had been quick and quiet. Shaw told Max about Brody’s demand that they confess. Max dismissed it, insisting they wait until later. Max wanted the night to be about Keri and he’d said adding anything more to the mix would overwhelm her. As always, Shaw had capitulated to Max’s wishes, but now, as he lay beside them, he felt the secret gnawing at him like a toothache.
Max had always demanded they remain silent about their sexual relationship. It had never bothered Shaw before, but now he couldn’t help wondering why Max wanted to keep it a secret. Was Max ashamed of it? Embarrassed about it? Both reasons cut through Shaw like a knife.
Keri sighed and rolled over. Her ass brushed against his semi-erect cock, sending the thing from zero to sixty in a millisecond. She lay on her back, allowing Shaw to study her face. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined sharing a bed with Keri Shields.
She’d been a kid when she’d left Texas, a far-too-serious teenager intent on making her way in the world. Even then he’d admired her spunk, her courage.
But now? Christ. Now she was rocking his world, threatening to crumble the very foundation. He’d gotten through life by following Max’s lead. Given his shitty upbringing, he’d learned earl
y on that if he ever wanted to make something of his life, he needed to find a positive role model to mimic. He sure as fuck wasn’t going to follow the example set by his abusive, alcoholic father and drink his way into an early grave. He also wasn’t going to turn into a tramp like his mother, fucking his way through life as a way to get food or shelter.
The best day of his young existence had been the day the Lennins took him in. Max’s folks were a normal, nice couple who’d given him their love unconditionally. The groundwork they’d laid in helping a young Shaw overcome the demons of his past was solidified by Max. They were the same age, so it was a simple task to follow the other boy’s direction. Max was a born leader and Shaw had been only too happy to trail along behind his friend. Max had gotten good grades, so Shaw had taken his studies seriously, graduating with honors. Max had found a job on Mockingbird Ranch, and Shaw had been thrilled by the profession his friend had chosen, signing up to work alongside him. When Max suggested they save their money to purchase their own land, Shaw had been perfectly content to throw his earnings into the pot.
However, for the first time in his life, Shaw felt like Max was screwing up. He was leading them in the wrong direction, and Shaw wished to hell he knew how to change that course.
Then another thought occurred to Shaw. What if, now that Keri was in their bed, Max decided he didn’t want to continue the sexual relationship with Shaw? Regardless of Keri’s presence in their bed, Shaw still wanted Max.
He sighed. Keri opened her eyes.
“Shit,” he whispered. “Did I wake you?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s been months since I shared a bed with someone. Guess I’m out of practice.”
He was torn between scowling about her reference to her shithead ex and grinning like a fool over the fact she was sharing a bed with him.
“It’s like riding a bicycle,” he teased. “Besides, I intend to see you get plenty of practice.”
She smiled but he sensed an uneasiness behind her expression. “What’s wrong?”
